Jungle and surf

Other than sunset and sunrise on the summit of Mauna Kea, the Puna coastline near Kalapana is my favourite spot on the Big Island. The jungle there always reminds me of the final Indiana Jones film, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, in particular the scene with the dramatic chase in the jungle. In fact that part of the movie was filmed here but it was a few miles away from this tree tunnel in some privately owned land.

There's another very beautiful tunnel a couple of miles north of this point which looks spectacular in the late afternoon sun as the ironwood trees filter the sunlight and mix it in with the more regular jungle-like trees. I really wanted to stop and take a few photographs but I was involved in my own car chase at the time - a couple of monster trucks behind me driven by local surfers who really wanted my car out of their way! Although the road is beautiful it's very narrow and windy, so didn't want to stop and get in their way. Oh well, I know the spot I want to photograph and will get another chance.

The tree tunnels are also very near Isaac Hale Beach Park in Pohoiki Bay, one of the most popular surf spots in East Hawaii. It's where I figured out on Sunday that I'm no sports photographer but I did have a lot of fun watching this guy paddle surf and catch the odd wave. He was very skillful.

Not a shot I'm very proud of, but this guy was certainly having fun in the surf! I tried body boarding once on the west side of the island and only lasted four waves. I managed to catch one wave which was amazing fun for a few seconds but got wiped out by a following large wave which left me limping for weeks afterwards and I've never tried again! I have no idea how anyone can stay upright even in relatively small surf like this.